Just Label It, News Roundup 6-29

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced the discovery of unapproved genetically modified wheat near a farm in Alberta, but said the contamination is an isolated event. After years of campaigning, residents in Hawaii, have earned the right to know exactly which toxic pesticides are being sprayed. The first of hundreds of cancer patients suing Monsanto will see his case go to trial on Monday. New research from Greece and Romania shows that chemicals regulators have deemed safe at low levels can be toxic when combined in mixtures. Editing cells’ genomes with CRISPR-Cas9 might increase the risk that the altered cells, intended to treat disease, will trigger cancer, warn two studies published on Monday. This is a potential game-changer for the companies developing CRISPR-based therapies. A new paper was released on Roundup litigation discovery documents, with implications for public health and journal ethics.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced the discovery of unapproved genetically modified (GM, also called genetically engineered) wheat near a farm in Alberta, but says the contamination is an isolated event.

As groundskeeper for the school district in Benicia, California, about 40 miles east of San Francisco, Johnson mixed and sprayed hundreds of gallons of Roundup. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, and in July, after chemotherapy and other treatment, his oncologist gave him six months to live.

On a former sugar plantation on the dry southeast coast of Kauai, Hawaii, far from the tourist beaches, agrochemical companies are testing a secret cocktail of toxic pesticides on genetically modified corn. Now, after years of campaigning, residents who live around the test site have earned the right to know exactly which toxic pesticides are being sprayed.

Editing cells’ genomes with CRISPR-Cas9 might increase the risk that the altered cells, intended to treat disease, will trigger cancer, two studies published on Monday warn — a potential game-changer for the companies developing CRISPR-based therapies.

This paper reviews the court-released discovery documents obtained from litigation against Monsanto over its herbicide Roundup and through Freedom of Information Act requests (requests to regulatory agencies and public universities in the United States). We sought evidence of corporate malfeasance and undisclosed conflicts of interest with respect to issues of scientific integrity. The findings include evidence of ghostwriting, interference in journal publication, and undue influence of a federal regulatory agency.